RUSE || Taekook

ELEVEN || A5F2A5O2A5F4

Taehyung massages his forehead in his car as Yeonjun drives peacefully through the streets of Croatia. After his meeting with Jungkook, focusing on anything became an issue. Jimin, out of anger, banished him to a drive through the city, hoping it would clear his mind.

It isn't working. The silence in the car is eating him alive, gnawing at his mind, scratching at unwanted thoughts.

Jungkook still loves him. Taehyung could see it in the younger's eyes. He was genuine when he said he loved Taehyung.

Taehyung pulls at his hair and shakes his head. That's what he thought about Yoongi too. 

This is all just a trick.

It always is.

Taehyung refuses to believe in a fairytale again.

"Um, Taehyung," Yeonjun says.

Taehyung's head snaps in his direction, secretly thankful the younger distracted him.

"Do you want to maybe... talk about what's bothering you?" Yeonjun asks, turning the car to the left, meeting Taehyung's gaze in the rearview mirror.

"The code," Taehyung answers.

"I heard our man, JayKay, got close to cracking it," Yeonjun says with a smile on his face, his round glasses resting atop his nose as he drives with his left hand on the steering wheel.

This has to be the softest man Taehyung knows.

He's known Yeonjun ever since the latter was seventeen and stumbled into Taehyung's life when the leader raided a sex-trafficking agency. Yeonjun was lucky he was new and nobody had touched him in extreme ways against his consent. Nevertheless, the incident traumatised the younger and he refused to leave Taehyung's side for half a year, learning how to be part of the gang while Taehyung aided his healing process.

And in return, he got one of his most loyal and skilled men, always fighting ferociously by his side.

Yeonjun was like a younger brother to Taehyung.

"Yeah, you heard right," Taehyung ruffled his own hair and sat back, his hands loosely hanging between his legs.

"So, are we gonna take advantage of that or not?"

"He's already been told to work on it," Taehyugn affirms, lolling his head to the right and staring out the window.

"So, what's worrying you?"

"How did he crack it?"

"Well, he looked smart."

"How does he even know it translates to English?"

"Why don't you ask him?"

"Oh gee, why didn't I think of that?"

Yeonjun giggles. "Or Daniel could ask him."

"Please do."

"Anything for you, Tae."

Taehyung smiles and buries his hands under his armpits, sitting back and aiming his focus at the little children littering the streets, throwing rocks at each other or just messing around.

This might just be a good idea.

————————

Does Tae really not love him anymore?

Jungkook stares at his ceiling, his hands intertwined under his head. He relieved himself about an hour ago in the bathroom and this time tried to think of Yoongi but decided against it, given how it's weird to masturbate to the thought of a dead man.